The China CNC Machine Tool Fair 2012 (CCMT 2012) opened in Nanjing on 16th. Near 800 machine tool manufacturers from 15 countries and regions took part in the fair, with more than 1100 units (sets) of whole machines and large measuring instruments, and tens of thousands of numerical-control systems, function parts, measuring and cutting tools, and machine tool accessories put on display in the fair. This is the largest fair in terms of exhibition volume since the establishment of the CCMT in 2000.
Xu Xingchu, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an expert of precision instrument designing and techniques, said that the standard of exhibits in this year's fair has improved significantly, a full proof of China's remarkable achievement in reforming the development pattern and promoting product structure adjustment of China's machine tool industry. Main manifestations include:
More than 100 proprietary innovative achievements show the new features of the industry's upgrade. In the fair, over 70 machine tools manufacturers exhibit more than 100 proprietary innovative achievements, including many innovative achievements of national key scientific projects of high-end numerical-control machine tools and basic manufacturing equipments. These achievements break many bottlenecks that have long been hindering the development of China's machine tool technology, accomplish many innovative achievements, and cover many areas across the industry, including a lot of key host machines, high-performance numerical-control systems, key function parts, and other accessories.
A great number of high-end and high-quality products reflect the application of international advanced manufacturing technology in China's machine tool sector. About 300 units (sets) of high-end and high-quality products are exhibited here. These products embody the fundamental technology features of the development trend of contemporary international advanced manufacturing technology. They are the real reflection of the application of current international advanced technologies in China's machine tool manufacturing sector, indicating that China's machine tool industry is vigorously catching up with and adopting international advanced manufacturing technology and endeavoring to get into and merge with the trend of contemporary international advanced manufacturing technology.
A series of exhibits that provide service to key clients show the improvement of the industry's guarantee capability. A large number of key products that are used in key parts and procedures in the country's key development sectors, such as aviation, aerospace, automobile, shipping, and energy, are exhibited, indicating the important role of machine tool and fundamental manufacturing equipments in the economy and national defense, reflecting that the support and guarantee capability of China's machine tool industry in the economy and national defense continue to improve.
Peripheral basic products are diversified and excellent, showing that the industrial structure of China's machine tool industry is becoming more and more complete. Along with whole machines, these hundreds of manufacturers offer tens of thousands of units of numerical-control systems, functions parts, measuring and cutting tools, and accessories in the fair. The technological standard of these products are significantly improved. These fundamental peripheral products indicate that an industrial structure of synchronized and coordinated development of the machine tool industry is heading for completion.
It is learned that the gross industrial output value of China's machine tool industry in 2011 aggregated at RMB 660.65 billion Yuan, an increase of 32.1 percent year on year; the aggregate products turnover amounted to RMB 642.49 billion Yuan, an increase of 31.1 percent over the previous year. As of the end of the 11th Five-year Plan, China's machine tool output value had ranked 1st in the world for 2 consecutive years, the development rate significantly higher than major machine tools manufacturing countries such as Japan and Germany.
Wu Bolin, vice standing chairman of China Machine Tool & Tool Builders' Association, points out that the achievement of the structural adjustment of the machine tool industry would not be possible without the fast and steady development of the industry for 10 years in a row. Nonetheless, at present, despite the huge volume of China's machine tool industry, it is not very competitive, the main conflict being the incompatibility between the supply capability of the industry and the accelerated upgrade of the demand structure of the domestic market. As upgrade of market demand accelerates, demand for high-end products and specialized machines increases. Famous international companies are gearing up to seize the middle- and high-end market in China, posing serious challenges for domestic machine tool enterprises.
According to Wu Bolin, in the face of the new conditions of market demand, enterprises should make focus efforts to increase their competitiveness in the middle- and high-end numerical-control machine tool market, to increase the supporting capability of middle- and high-end numerical-control systems and function parts, and to improve their comprehensive service capability for the middle- and high-end market, so as to withstand the test of the market. Only with highly steady performance, reliability, and low cost can machine tool products possess during market competitiveness.
